Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 23:20/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ג:כ׳

אלֹא תַשִּׁיךְ לְאָחִיךָ, גַּם זוֹ מִצְוָה מְבֹאֶרֶת (ויקרא כה לו לז), יוֹסִיף בְּכָאן אַזְהָרָה גַּם לַלֹּוֶה, מַה שֶׁאֵין כֵּן בְּכָל דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת שֶׁאִם רָצָה הוּא לִזּוֹק בִּנְכָסָיו רַשַּׁאי, אֲבָל מִפְּנֵי רְגִילוּת הַחֵטְא הַזֶּה יַזְהִיר בּוֹ גַּם הַלֹּוֶה. וּבֵאֵר בְּכָאן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה רִבִּית הַנָּכְרִי מֻתָּר, וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר כֵּן בְּגָזֵל וּבִגְנֵבָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (ב"ק קיג) גָּזֵל גּוֹי אָסוּר, אֲבָל הָרִבִּית שֶׁהוּא נַעֲשֶׂה לְדַעַת שְׁנֵיהֶם וּבִרְצוֹנָם לֹא נֶאֱסַר אֶלָּא מִצַּד הָאַחְוָה וְהַחֶסֶד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁצִּוָּה (ויקרא יט יח) וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (דברים ט"ו:ט') הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן יִהְיֶה דָבָר עִם לְבָבְךָ בְלִיַּעַל וְגוֹ', וְעַל כֵּן אָמַר לְמַעַן יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ, כִּי חֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים יַעֲשֶׂה עִם אָחִיו כַּאֲשֶׁר יַלְוֶנּוּ בְּלֹא רִבִּית וְתֵחָשֵׁב לוֹ לִצְדָקָה. וְכֵן הַשְּׁמִטָּה חֶסֶד בָּאַחִים. לְכָךְ אָמַר (שם פסוק ג), אֶת הַנָּכְרִי תִּגֹּשׂ, וְקָבַע לוֹ בְּרָכָה, כִּי הַכָּתוּב לֹא יַזְכִּיר הַבְּרָכָה רַק בִּצְדָקָה וּבַחֲסָדִים, לֹא בְּגָזֵל וּבִגְנֵבָה וּבְאוֹנָאָה. וְהִזְכִּיר נֶשֶׁךְ כֶּסֶף נֶשֶׁךְ אֹכֶל, לְבָאֵר שֶׁהַלֹּוֶה סְאָה חִטִּין בִּסְאָה וָחֵצִי יִהְיֶה נֶשֶׁךְ גָּמוּר אֲפִלּוּ לֹא יִהְיֶה שָׁוֶה סְאָה וָחֵצִי בְּעֵת הַפֵּרָעוֹן כִּדְמֵי סְאָה שֶׁהִלְוָהוּ. וּבֵאֵר עוֹד כָּל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁךְ, אֲפִלּוּ בְּאַבְנֵי הַבִּנְיָן וּשְׁאָר הַנִּלְוִים, אוּלַי יַעֲלֶה עַל הַדַּעַת שֶׁאֵין הַנֶּשֶׁךְ רַק בְּכֶסֶף, שֶׁכָּל הַדְּבָרִים נִקְנִין בּוֹ, וּבְאֹכֶל, שֶׁהוּא חַיֵּי הָאָדָם, אֲבָל בִּשְׁאָר הַדְּבָרִים נֵלֵךְ אַחַר שׁוּם הַכֶּסֶף לְעֵת הַהַלְוָאָה וְהַפֵּרָעוֹן. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ספרי קכט) עָשׂוּ לַנָּכְרִי תַשִּׁיךְ, לָאו הַבָּא מִכְּלַל עֲשֵׂה בְּאָחִיךָ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא מְיֻתָּר, שֶׁכְּבָר אָמַר לֹא תַשִּׁיךְ לְאָחִיךָ:

1LO THASHICH³¹³ form tashich is understood in a causative sense as meaning: “Thou shalt not cause thy brother to take interest.” See “The Commandments,” Vol. II, pp. 224-225. L’ACHICHA’ (THOU SHALT NOT CAUSE THY BROTHER TO TAKE INTEREST). This also is an explanatory commandment, adding here an admonition to the borrower as well, unlike all civil cases, for if a person wishes to damage his belongings he may do so [and it should, therefore, be permitted to the borrower to give freely to the lender]. However, because of the habitual nature of this sin [of giving interest], Scripture admonishes the borrower as well.³¹⁴ And he explained here³¹⁵ that a heathen’s interest is permissible. This he did not mention with reference to robbery and theft, as the Rabbis have said.³¹⁶ “Theft from a heathen is forbidden.” But borrowing for interest, which is agreed upon by both parties and is done voluntarily, was forbidden [by the Torah] only because of brotherliness and kindness, as He commanded, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,³¹⁷ and as he said, Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart etc. [and thine eye be evil against thy needy brother, and thou give him nought].³¹⁸ Therefore he said [here], that the Eternal thy G-d may bless thee,³¹⁹ for it is an act of mercy and compassion that one does for his brother by lending him without interest, and it will be accounted to him for righteousness.³²⁰ The release of debts [in the Seventh year] is also an act of mercy among brothers, and therefore he said, Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it,³²¹ and for him [who releases the debt of a brother] he designated a blessing,³²², Verse 4. for Scripture mentions a blessing only in connection with charity and acts of mercy, and not for [the mere abstention from] robbery, theft, and fraud.He mentions interest of money, interest of victuals³²³ in order to explain that he who lends one measure of wheat for a measure and a half is [guilty of taking] true interest even if at the time of payment a measure and a half is not worth as much as was the one measure that he lent him. And he further explained, interest of any thing that is lent upon interest,³²³ meaning even building-blocks and other articles which are lent. For it might occur to one to think that “interest” applies only to money with which everything can be purchased and to victuals which sustain life, but in other things we should go according to the cash value at the time of the loan and the repayment [therefore Scripture prohibited all such interest expressly]. Now our Rabbis have interpreted³²⁴ 263. See also Ramban above 15:3 where this subject is explained more fully. the verse, Unto a foreigner thou shalt lend upon interest³¹⁹ as being a negative commandment derived from a positive commandment [which carries the force of a positive commandment] with respect to lending to an Israelite.³²⁵ [They rendered this interpretation] because the verse is redundant, for he already stated ‘lo thashich’ thy brother [which implies clearly that it is permitted to exact interest from a foreigner; why then the repetition, Unto a foreigner etc.? It was to teach that an interest-bearing loan to an Israelite is in violation of both a negative and a positive commandment].